Researchers
will create a large bank of genetic material, cell
lines, and data from families with multiple members
with late-onset AD, which scientists can then use
in the quest to discover the risk-factor genes
that contribute to late-onset AD, the most common
form of the disease. Discovery of risk-factor genes
will help illuminate the underlying disease processes
of AD, open up novel areas of research, and identify
new targets for drug therapy.

LEXINGTON,
Ky. (Feb. 23, 2004) -- The University
of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is
joining a nationwide effort to identify 1,000
families with two or more siblings with late-life
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to participate
in a major research study, the Alzheimer’s
Disease Genetics Study. The goal of the study
is to speed the search for risk-factor genes
that increase the risk of developing AD later
in life.

Researchers
will create a large bank of genetic material, cell
lines, and data from families with multiple members
with late-onset AD, which scientists can then use
in the quest to discover the risk-factor genes
that contribute to late-onset AD, the most common
form of the disease. Discovery of risk-factor genes
will help illuminate the underlying disease processes
of AD, open up novel areas of research, and identify
new targets for drug therapy.

“Discovery
of risk-factor genes is essential for understanding
the causes of late-onset AD and for developing
effective treatments and prevention strategies,” said
Charles D. Smith, M.D., professor of neurology
and director of the Clinical Core of the UK Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center, Sanders-Brown Center on
Aging.

“Families
who have been affected by this devastating disease
understand the urgency of finding the causes of
AD, and how to stop it,” he said.

To
be eligible to participate in the study, families
must have at least three members who can donate
blood, including:

Two
siblings (brothers or sisters) who developed
AD after age 60, and

Another
family member over age 50 who may have memory
loss OR a family member over age 60 who does
not have any memory loss.

Participation
involves a neurological examination or collection
of medical records and the donation of a blood
sample, which will be made into a cell line (a
family of cells grown in the laboratory) that will
enable the participant’s DNA to be available
to qualified scientists over many years. Medical,
demographic, and family history information also
will be collected. Unaffected family members also
may be asked to participate. The cell lines and
DNA will be stored at a centralized repository
at Indiana
University – the National Cell Repository
for AD (NCRAD).

There
is no cost for those who join the study. To ensure
broad participation, study coordinators will make
alternative arrangements for participation if people
eligible to take part are not located near a designated
study site.

An
important part of the study is the confidential
treatment of the genetic information collected
from participants. Researchers will not be able
to identify samples on an individual level. While
clinical, demographic and family history information
about the participants will be available to researchers,
this information will also be free of unique identifiers.
Coded data on the blood sample will be stored in
a secure computer at the NCRAD.
Detailed discussion of informed consent documents
will outline for participants how the study will
be conducted and how data will be protected at
each site and at the cell repository.

To
participate in the study, families should contact
NCRAD toll-free at (800) 526-2839 or by e-mail
at alzstudy@iupui.edu.
Information is also available through the study’s Web
site or by calling Dr. Smith, or Jenny Cox,
R.N., at (859) 257-6508.

About
90 percent of people with AD have the late-onset
(also called “late-life”) variety,
which strikes people age 65 and older. There is
no obvious inheritance pattern with late-onset
AD, but researchers have identified one “risk-factor” gene.
This discovery has opened up many important avenues
to understanding the biological and environmental
interactions that may be important to the development
of late-onset AD. While scientists have drawn significantly
closer to identifying at least four regions of
chromosomes where other risk-factor genes might
be, researchers have strongly recommended that
further collection and analysis of larger sample
sets are needed.